The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-11-04
THE MYSTERIOUS SIGN.


only little country town with the school
house, the blacksmith shop, one or two
farm houses and store, all built within a
stones throw of one another.
That was before the railroad found its
way through that part of the country, and
q nice little depot was built not dozen
rods from the store, and farmer Lindell
was induced to sell part of his farm for
was erected some little homes for the rail-
road men, and still another part for another
store eyer SO much larger than the old one
was, with shop for repairing boots and
shoes, in the little wing which was built
ON one side of it. The proprietor of the
store, with his family lived up stairs; and
Easton then began to put on the airs
of busy city, aud many of the young
people who had become very tired Of the
monotony of country life, began to make
great plans for near future when they
should be married and live in rooms UP
stairs in real city style! There was an inn
mediate call from the blacksmith's son for
q suite of rooms on the second floor, and
the call was blushingly seconded by pretty
Rilla Mckay, so the townspeople bought
another piece of Mr.. Lindelrs farm and
erected nice hall with some coy rooms
over it, and, like a pair Of contented birds,
the young couple commenced housekeep-
ipo Mr. T;pIaiI a,,1 b,
make quite an aristocratic building site
for a very aristocratic looking residence,
which he built for himself and family, and
furnished in style of magnificence that
had never before been heard of in Easton,
and he tried very hard not to hold himself
"too stiff before his neighbors after he
had moved into it. n
The old homestead with few of the
surrounding acres, was put in wonderful
repair, and decided to the eldest son who
had inst returned from college and
brought a young wife with him, and who
felt himself well qualified to s'lay down
the law to any and every inhabitant of
the little village. There were just two
little spots of the old Lindell farm left, and
one was bought tor round house in which
ever so many shining black engines were
to be lodged and cared for, and the other
was given to the Presbyterian society,
with proviso that they would erect
handsomer church than the one on the hill
back of the school house which the Meth
odists were just finishing.
That little proviso fully explains farmer
Lindell's nature. lie had been a well-to-
Easton. He had sold his land well, and
had gotten rid of his nicely cared fer
farm machinery at astonishingly good
prices.
He was a farmer no longer, but the
wcalthicst man at Easton with money and
leisure to attend to any investment which
might strike him as particularly promis-
ing. Ten or dozen years passed swiftly
by, and Easton was still busy, thriving
village, though during all that time it had
grown no faster than 1t did during the first
six months of its existence as railway
station.
That it should grow so slowly was
great trouble to Mr. Lindell, who, excited
over his success in selling his farm, had
Immediately jumped to the conclusion
that Easton was to be very large city,
and had bought several of the farms adj
joining the little village, expecting that
there would soon be as great demand
for them as there had been for his, and
that he would awake some fine morning
to find himself a millionaire, and his farms
covered thickly with residences aud tene-
ments.
That dream had not yet been realized.
He was obliged to rent his farms, and as
is not unusual with rented property, he
scarcely got enough from them to pay the
taxes and keep them in repair. He con-
sidered the money invested in them worse
than thrown away, and though he had
plenty besides on which to live comfort
ably for many years longer than he could
reasonably hope to live, he fretted and
fumed continually over his poor invest
ment, and was always trying to think of
ways by which it could be made to be-
come more profitable.
About this time, his old friends and
neighbors sent him to the legislature, and
when he returned, full of his own import
ance. he had a scheme which he was very
sure would yet enable him to be ranked
among the few millionaircs which his
state could boast.
In spite of the entreaiies of Mrs. Lin
dell the scheme was carried into execution.
| have not mentioned Mrs. Lindell before,
because she was of so little importance in
the world hat it scarcely seemed worth
while. She had good principles but not
enough courage to make them known.
Perhaps if she had been different, | would
not have had this story to write.
Young Mr.. Lindell had not prospered
as lawyer. lie was patronized little
by the strangers who moved into town,
but the people who had known him when
he was baby, felt safer to put their bus
mess into the hands of the lawyer who had
hung out his shingle year or two later.
He felt as much bitterness as people usual
ly do when they are forced to acknowledge
the old truth about the prophet and his own
country. His pocket book and his state of